


Tree Time Troubles

by PineTrain



Category: Gravity Falls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-16 12:10:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10571028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PineTrain/pseuds/PineTrain





	1. Tree Time Troubles

Mabel could feel the bark of the tree scratching her arm. Normally her thick sweater sleeves would stop that but her adrenaline fueled grip held the trunk so tightly even they couldn’t stop it. The scratching reminded her of splinters gained long ago on a water tower while she tried to perform a good deed. She’d succeeded for sure, but had developed her own fear of heights that periodically popped back up. No good deed goes unpunished.

It didn’t always make itself apparent. She’d shot herself out a cannon to parachute into a flying pyramid from a hell dimension and laughed the whole way down less than a few months after. Weird how just chasing a squirrel up a tree could bring up that fear years later.

The squirrel had just been the absolute most huggable thing Mable had ever seen (until the next most came tomorrow), how could she not chase it? So she followed it, leaving Dipper in the dust right in the middle of their walk through the woods. After a minute of running, it tried to escape up the tree and Mabel pursued, hands and feet instinctively finding ever tiny grip to pull herself up. She finally caught it and gave it that hug before releasing it to go on its merry way. That was when Mabel had to look down though.

She was probably only about 20 or 25 feet up. Not as high as the water tower but far enough that the memory resurfaced. The ground seemed to move farther away, or maybe the tree was getting taller? Either way, the distance was growing and no matter how much she knew it was in her head she could feel the panic setting in.

Mabel had tried to calm herself and began moving down the branches, mostly holding herself up with her arms and one leg while waving the other around until it found purchase. She couldn’t bring herself to look down or she’d lose what calm she had gained. That refusal to look down was what led to her current situation.

Mabel thought her foot was steady on the next branch down and began lowering her weight onto it. As more and more of her was held up by it, she felt okay taking a hand off one branch to grab a lower one. The hands were easier to move since she could look to the sides without problem. Then she heard a crack. Not the sound of the branch breaking, but rather a twig coming off of it that apparently held her up more than she realized.

Her foot slid off it while her grasping free hand completely missed the branch she had reached for. Mabel was saved by the fact that her reflexes made her squeeze the grip in her other hand as tight as a vise. Her other foot had also slipped off its branch though fortunately in the opposite direction of her fall, causing the inside of her knee to catch it.

Eyes wide with panic, Mabel swung her leg towards the one that still held her up. Her ankle smacked the branch it had slipped from several times before she was able to raise it over and wrap it around her other ankle in a lock. She wrenched herself up by her knee and her stable hand until the other clung at the trunk so she could settle on the branch.

Shivering, she tightened her legs’ grip and scooted forward a centimeter at a time until she felt comfortably close enough to the tree to wrap both arms around it. Her knees pressed to the trunk as well, her feet coming up to hold the branch beneath her. Mabel leaned her head into it, feeling tears streaming down her face as she held on for dear life. Every gust of wind convinced her the branch she was on would break off as it swayed, if the whole tree itself didn’t somehow fall over itself.

Through the fog of fear she heard Dipper’s voice calling her name. It was pretty close but she still had trouble pushing through the sniffling to call back. After a few attempts, Mabel managed to croak out his in response.

Bushes rustled as Dipper made his way over. “There you are, Mabel!” He said, “You just ran off and I’ve been looking the last 10 minutes for you. Jeez, you could at least give some better…Mabel?”

He’d come a lot closer and Mabel realized he was speaking in a normal voice yet she could hear him just fine. He sounded like he was just a few feet away.

“Mabel? Are you okay? What are you doing?” Dipper asked. Yeah, he was very close. Not enough to reach, but enough that Mabel realized something. She opened an eye and glanced down, trying not to let her head leave the tree. Her arm was blocking her view and she steeled herself as best she could before she reluctantly moved her elbow out to open a gap she could see through.

The ground was hardly that far beneath her. She saw Dipper’s shoe and could tell if he took so much as a small hop he’d be able to reach up and touch her. Mabel had gotten a lot farther down than she had even realized, too scared to properly gauge her descent. She could fall this far and take little more than a few bruises and the breath knocked out of her. Still, when she made an effort to lower her legs she felt just enough of a shift in the branch that she snapped them back up.

“Mabel? Do you need help getting down?” Dipper asked, receiving a whimper. “Okay, just one second.”

Mabel felt his hand touch her knee gently for a moment, then heard him move to a branch to her side. She looked over and saw his understanding face. He held out his hand, “C’mon, let’s go down together.”

She regarded it for a second, then nodded lightly and slowly reached out to hold it. She instantly felt better in his strong, comforting grip. Dipper lowered himself a bit and moved her hand to a nearby branch. He let go and Mabel grabbed it, slowly shifting her weight towards it.

She hesitated, though, when she realized she’d have to look down to place her foot on the next. “Mabel, you need to look down for this,” Dipper said gently, “If it’s too much, stop and look at me. Then try again when you’re ready.” He smiled at her and she felt better about it.

And so they descended those last few feet, Dipper offering words of encouragement and always close enough to catch her. He helped lower Mabel by the hips when she reached the bottom. She was still jittery, despite the huge relief of solid ground, and fell back against him on landing. He caught her under the shoulders, drawing her into a hug. Mabel leaned into it, sighing.

“You did a good job,” Dipper murmured in her ear.

“Pff, a good job would be not having trouble getting down five feet by myself…” Mabel said dejectedly.

“It’s alright to ask for help when you need it.”

Well, Mabel had always agreed with that sentiment. She just felt really embarrassed about the whole thing now that it was over. It was so silly when she thought about it. The memory of that horrible falling feeling made her shudder though, so maybe it wasn’t so silly. Still, she was glad it was Dipper who had been there to help her, feeling warm and safe in his arms.

They sat there a bit as Mabel’s jitters went down. Thinking she was comfortable standing on her own, she reluctantly pulled away from him. She winced, however, when she set her full weight on her ankle and fell back against him. They both looked down and saw an ugly bruise forming where it had struck the branch during her flailing. There were also angry scratches along her legs, an occasional smear of blood where the skin had been broken as she clutched it. Her arms might even be the same.

She felt Dipper kneel down towards the side, cupping her knees in his arm while he lowered her onto the other. “I’ll carry you, if that’s alright?” he said.

Mabel blushed and nodded. After a slight adjustment, Dipper headed home. It still stung a bit from where he touched her scratches and bruises, but the warm feeling she felt here covered up any of that. She leaned her head into his shoulder, heart thumping the whole way back from something other than fear.


	2. Over the Ledge

“Goooooood, I’m such an idiot! It’s a fairy! Of course it was lying about no illusions!” Dipper said, clutching his face in frustration.

Mabel rolled her eyes as she stood and turned away after helping settle him on the couch. She knew he just needed to get the frustration out, but damn if it didn’t get annoying hearing him complain the whole way back. It’s not like it was their first botched monster hunt. Still, he wasn’t wrong about the failure being his fault, and while she didn’t hold that against him, she knew he did. She could help him see reason once he’d vented.

She stopped just before she left the room and looked back to see him absent-mindedly reach towards his bruising ankle as he muttered to himself. He didn’t sit up so he could actually touch it, but it was pretty clear that despite his preoccupation with shit-talking himself, he was starting to notice the pain. At least he only seemed to have badly hurt one leg instead of both. The bruise would be on it regardless even if he’d worn jeans, but perhaps the minor cuts and dirt wouldn’t cover his legs if he didn’t always insist on wearing his damn shorts. 

Mabel entered the kitchen shaking her head quickly. There was nothing wrong with his shorts, she just wanted to blame something for why he was so hurt. The fairy didn’t feel like the right target. It might’ve lied, sure, but they were chasing it. Self-defense and all. It really was Dippers fault he’d fallen, but she didn’t want to blame him at the same time he was doing such a fantastic job in his own self-deprecation.

She sniffed a bit as she retrieved a tray, two bowls, and some hand towels. She squirted some soap in one bowl and cut the sink on, waiting for the water to heat. Heights were still occasionally a problem for her and she’d hung back as Dipper stepped towards the fairy. It had hovered just at the ledge of the cliff, but his foot passed through the ground once he came close. The illusion had vanished instantly, revealing that the ledge was actually about five feet further in than had appeared. Fortunately, the slope was gentle and Dipper tumbled to a stop fairly quickly, his injuries minor. If Mabel had gone first, it’d’ve been her rolling down the hill, but she’d been afraid and let him do it.

Mabel felt guilty about that. She knew that the way things had gone down, one of them would’ve been injured. They weren’t just going to back down and the fairy had insisted they come to him. It was either walk away or pursue him and the adrenaline of the chase had suppressed their caution to check for traps. They had both been idiots. Still, there was something about the fact that she couldn’t get close to the ledge because of her fear that made her feel as if she’d unconsciously forced Dipper to be the one who quite literally took the fall.

Her cleanup tray complete, she headed back to living room. Just as she entered she heard a sharp hiss. Dipper stood near the couch, eyes scrunched, hands clenched in fists at his sides and a tiny bit of drool dribbling from his grimacing mouth. Both feet were on the ground but there was a quiver in the injured one’s leg and it was clear he was slowly shifting his weight onto it despite the blatant pain.

“Dipper! What the hell are you doing?! Lay down!” Mabel yelled as she hurried over.

“N-no, I don’t think it’s that bad,” Dipper said, wincing. “I can walk it off.”

Mabel set the tray down on the coffee table quickly, then grabbed his shoulder before he attempted another step. “Back on the couch,” she commanded. “Now.”

Dipper sighed and followed her instruction. She helped him down and moved to his legs, pulling the tray closer. Mabel took a towel and dabbed it in the soapy water, wrung it out a bit and held it over Dippers dirty leg. She looked for his approval, and, though he seemed a bit dejected about the matter, he gave it. Mabel began cleaning the wounds.

She was gentle and methodical as she washed away the dirt and blood on his legs. He twitched often as she passed the small cuts, but didn’t cry out until she reached his injured ankle. It was already starting to puff a bit and he grunted as she dabbed at it. Reaching his socks, she set the towel aside and retrieved a fresh one to dry his legs. Mabel looked up at him apologetically. They both knew what came next.

“Can… how about we do the other foot first?” Dipper said, looking embarrassed.

Mabel smiled and began removing his other shoe. It was probably better in that order anyways since it gave her a practice run on how to take it off as gently as possible. It’d also help Dippers nerves to see how she planned to do it.

Loosening the laces almost to the point they came out, she pulled the tongue up to widen the space. Taking the heel of the shoe in one hand, she lightly held his ankle to help keep him steady as she slowly removed it from his foot. Next, she rolled the sock down, occasionally tugging the toe end of the fabric to relieve the friction of bunched-up cloth. His foot free, Mabel washed it as well, Dipper sighing when she dried it. Now came the hard part: The second shoe.

By the time she finished, Dipper had an intense grimace. Mabel’s stomach turned when she noticed his knuckles were white as he attempted to distract his mind from the pain in his foot. His breath was measured and calm, but Mabel hurried back to the kitchen to retrieve a bag of ice, worry shaking her heart. She hated this, seeing him in such pain and knowing she had a hand in it.

He hadn’t been hurting like this before she’d even removed the shoe. This was all supposed to help him feel better, but apparently the practice run meant nothing. He was clearly in a ton of pain. Pain that wouldn’t be there if she hadn’t tried to help. Mabel knew it was stupid to blame herself for helping, but she couldn’t stop herself from imagining some impossible scenario where his shoe could’ve been removed without aggravating the wound.

She said nothing as she handed him the bag of ice, quickly heading to the bathroom to find a painkiller in the medicine cabinet. If only Ford was here, he’d probably have something to stop Dippers pain. Finding some ibuprofen, she returned with a cup of water and watched as Dipper quickly swigged the pills before returning to holding the ice on his foot.

“Let me,” Mabel said as calmly as she could, gently transferring her pressure to the bag as Dipper removed his own. Dipper sighed as he leaned back.

“I’m such an idiot…” he said again, though this time it was more filled with pathetic depression than self-accusation.

“You’re not,” Mabel murmured absentmindedly. She didn’t notice she said it until after the fact, more focused on helping alleviate his pain. It was true though, so she didn’t take it back, “Everyone makes mistakes.”

In the air of silence that followed, Mabel dwelt on that thought. This situation was no different from a similar one a month and a half ago. Well, besides the role-reversal.

“I climbed a tree, remember?” she muttered, trusting him to recognize the connection.

“It’s not the same. You made a mistake because you forgot you were afraid of heights. I was just dumb.”

“Are you saying forgetting about heights isn’t dumb?”

Mabel’s question was spoken in a measured tone to mask the rising anger. Dipper might have called himself dumb outright, but he was trying to weasel his way out of indirectly calling her dumb. Who forgets their own fears? He could at least have the decency to be honest with his twin. If he was dumb, she was dumb. She wouldn’t let him bear this alone when she had her own faults.

Dipper didn’t answer for a while. Mabel could practically hear the gears grinding in his head. He wanted to blame himself without blaming her for the tree incident. He always wanted to take the fall in a bad situation. To protect others from the guilt of failure. It was infinitely frustrating because she hated to see him like this, and yet it really was his fault this time and he seemed bound and determined to stick to that fact. He had so much good in him, but it was a battle to get him to see it. This was such a huge setback. Mabel sighed.

“I’m-”

“Shut up.” Mabel said firmly, interrupting him. Just the recognition of yet another “sorry” coming was enough to rally her spirits. “I’m gonna take care of you.”

“But, Mabel, you… you don’t have to. I was an-”

“Shut up.” She said again with just as much firmness, glaring into his eyes to emphasize her point. She breathed in to collect herself.

“Dip, people make mistakes and sometimes they make them for dumb reasons. We both did.” Mabel looked to the side as she remembered being carried home, “But we also both had each other to pick us up after we made a mistake. It meant a lot to me when you helped me down from the tree. It, heh,” she chuckled through a tear at the memory, “it was really scary, but you were there. Now I’m gonna be here for you.” Mabel stared into his eyes, “Because, no matter what, I’ll always be here for you.”

Dipper seemed a bit awestruck. Then he coughed and rubbed his hair awkwardly. He looked around until he found something to stare at besides Mabel and spoke.

“Y-yeah, and I’ll, um, I’ll always be here for you, too, haha,” he laughed nervously. “Y’know, seeing as, heh,” he poked his index fingers together, “I mean, since, ah, I’m your brother and all.”

Mabel cocked her head to the side, “Just because you’re my brother?” She was faintly surprised by the huge sense of disappointment she felt.

“No! I mean, I’d do it anyways because I love you. It’s just cuz, it’s brotherly love and I don’t want to make it weird, so I emphasized it.”

“Because pointing out the weirdness isn’t already weird?” Mabel asked sarcastically. She couldn’t help but grin at him saying those three particular words, regardless of what kind of love he meant.

“I’m in pain, you’re not allowed to make fun of me if I say something stupid,” Dipper said indignantly, his face bright red.

It was true enough, so Mabel lay off on the topic. Her smile stayed on her face as she continued to care for him, heart thumping just as it had when he cared for her.


End file.
